# IKF plans Kabaddi World Cup and women’s league, targets Olympic inclusion 2026-11-01T20:28:20+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) said after its first Executive Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Sunday, 1 November, that it is planning a Kabaddi World Cup and a franchise-based women’s league modelled on the Pro Kabaddi League, with eight teams targeted for the inaugural edition. Countries interested in hosting the World Cup have been invited to submit proposals. IKF president Kasani Gnaneshwar said the federation’s bigger goal is kabaddi’s inclusion in the 2036 Olympic Games and the 2030 Commonwealth Games. He noted that 62 new countries have become IKF members. Representatives from Australia, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Canada, Kenya, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Netherlands and England attended the meeting. Gnaneshwar added that India had helped develop Iran’s kabaddi strength and hoped other nations would follow. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both The Hindu and Deccan Chronicle delivered neutral-report coverage of the IKF Executive Committee meeting, closely mirroring each other in facts: the Olympic and Commonwealth Games bid, the planned World Cup and women's league, and the 62 new member countries. The Hindu added a specific detail that India assisted Iran’s kabaddi development and quoted the IKF president directly on that point, while Deccan Chronicle focused slightly more on the women's league as a parallel to the men's Pro Kabaddi League. Neither outlet framed the story critically or politically. The uniform coverage suggests the IKF's announcements were accepted without contest. The next identifiable step is the submission of hosting proposals by countries interested in the Kabaddi World Cup, which the IKF has invited. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - thehindu.com (neutral report) Straight report, added Iran coaching detail - deccanchronicle.com (neutral report) Straight report, highlighted women's league parallel This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 2 November 2026: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-11-01T22:38:22+00:00. Tags: Hyderabad, International Kabaddi Federation, Kasani Gnaneshwar, Pro Kabaddi League Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ikf-plans-world-cup-womens-league-for-olympic-push/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ikf-plans-world-cup-womens-league-for-olympic-push/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/